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World Spotlight
--this little room. There were no windows, and on the opposite side of the room was another door similar to the one we had just come through.
Russia Honors Armed Forces
MOSCOW—(UPI)—The Soviet Union today celebrated the 47th anniversary of its armed forces against a backdrop of anti-American rocket-rattling.
"We make no secret of the fact we possess nuclear warheads of unsurpassed power which are in the possession of our rocket troops." Defense Minister Rodion Y. Malinovsky said in an article in the Communist party newspaper Pravda.
WASHINGTON—(UPI)—Party politics figured today in the question of commercial showings of a government-made film on the late John F. Kennedy, "John F. Kennedy—Years of Lightning, Day of Drums."
Parades and special concerts were scheduled throughout the country to mark the Soviet army-navy day.
JFK Film Causes Partisan Split
Rep. William S. Mailliard, R-Calif., said he hoped the Democrats would not use their 2-1 majority to "ram" the resolution through.
He said if the Democrats were willing to discuss the measure, he would go to great lengths to work something out. "But if they vote on political lines," he said, "I'm going to have to vote against it."
SAIGON—(UPI)—The government today announced the appointment of Lt. Gen. Nguyen Khanh as South Viet Nam's "roving ambassador"—a job that would send the deposed military strongman into virtual exile.
Saigon Helps Khanh Save Face
The move was apparently designed to satisfy Khanh's demand for a graceful, face-saving exit from the Vietnamese political scene.
There was no immediate reaction from Khanh. He remained at a mountain retreat 200 miles north of Saigon.
Muslim Mosque Burns in Harlem
NEW YORK—(UPI)—A three-alarm fire early today gutted the Black Muslim mosque in Harlem's Negro ghetto, once the headquarters for assassinated Black Nationalist leader Malcolm X.
Scores of policemen moved into Harlem Monday to avert rumored reprisals on Black Muslims by Malcolm's followers.
Police maintained a tight guard around the home of Black Muslim "prophet" Elijah Muhammad.
Black Muslim leaders could not be reached for comment about the fire.
Arab-U.S. Club Elects President
The Arab-American Club elected a new president and discussed plans for spring activities during a meeting Sunday evening in the Kansas Union.
The new president is Faisal S. A.
Al-Salem, Kuwait sophomore. Al-
Salem succeeds Sami Kaloti, Jordan
graduate student who left KU this
year.
Three main activities that were suggested were a banquet, participation in KU's annual International Festival and a queen contest called Scheherazade.
The banquet is an annual affair. Al-Salem said, "We serve Arabian meals and show films about life in our country. The purpose is to strengthen the friendly relationship between Arabian and American students.
"We are considering participation in KU's 12th International Festival to be held April 17 this year in Hoch Auditorium. The program presents a variety of art from many cultures represented here at KU. We are thinking about preparing a dance to present if we participate." Al-Salem said.
According to Al-Salem, the name Arab-American Club suggests that all Americans are welcome to join as well as Arabians. The meetings are carried on in English so that everyone will understand what is going on, and so that Arabians may improve their English. Al-Salem said.
Al-Salem said, "The Scheherazade is a new idea that we want to present at KU. It is a queen contest. All women's living groups present a candidate, and we choose the winner at a special meeting."
The group's faculty sponsor is Professor H. A. Ireland of the Geology Department. "We are very grateful for him." Al-Salem said. "He has been with the group a long time and is greatly responsible for what it is now. He went to the Middle East recently and he knows a lot about our region. That's what makes him so much a part of our group.
"We will probably meet every two weeks," Al-Salem said. "I hope that KU students will find our programs interesting. At present we do not have many American members, but we want them to know that they are welcome to join."
Dachau Remembered
Nazi Prison Brings Memories
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 1965 University Daily Kansan
By Bobbie Bartelt Assistant Managing Editor)
(Assistant Managing Editor)
Students are the tourists most commonly attracted to the small German town of Dachau. The older generation would rather forget about the atrocities that took place here during the 12 years it operated during the Nazi rule in Germany.
Touring Dachau can only be described in terms of horror, helplessness and to a certain extent—hope.
No guides conduct visitors from one building to the next; rather, they are allowed to wander from place to place contemplating the significance of the events that took place here.
The camp was constructed by the Nazis in 1933 to serve as a political prison; however, before the war had ended, many thousands had lost their lives there by violent means, if not starvation.
With a group of students, I passed between the huge bails of barbed wire that even today separate the camp from the outside world. Mutterings in German, French and English spoke of the general disapproval among the group for the very atmosphere of this place.
We followed the gravel path through well-kept gardens and broad green lawns. Then, immediately before us, rose the statue of a man. Resting in a niche of tall pine trees, the man stood on a marble stand on which was inscribed "To honor the dead—to remind the living." He was in bronze, but the sculptor captured his thinness and stooped figure in life-like trueness.
Behind him we discovered an old, whitewashed shack. Beside it a tall, thin black smokestack rose nearly 20 feet. The building was labeled in the small booklet guide as the "Old Crematorium."
The shack had only one room, and there was little space for standing because four large iron ovens occupied the center of the room. They were rusty and some were warped, but their meaning was unmistakable. It was in these ovens that the "political enemies" of the "Third Reich" were destroyed.
In the museum the atmosphere changed from a heavily charged emotional one, to one of cold fact and figure. Showcases, in which photos are arranged in chronological order to show the development of the camp, are set up in a brightly lit, airy room. People move through this room at their own leisure.
The floor in the shack was grated, and immediately outside the door was a large metal bin. We assumed that this was all a part of the procedure of carting the ashes to the country where they were spread over the rich fields of the "Fatherland."
Boys stood silent and stone-faced, some of the girls were uncomfortable and shifted their weight from one foot to the other, and two younger girls could not control a tear.
The group of students concentrated on old photographs of the camp as it was in 1933, complete with its high stone wall and barbed wire. The photos show the watchtowers through which heavily armed guards made certain that the inmates obeyed every order and did not escape.
A heavy door leads from the showcase room into a whitewashed, dark room. Above the door is a sign asking for silence.
Once inside, the doors were closed and we began to carefully explore the walls and floor of this chamber. Small valves protruded from the ceiling and there were round drains on the floor. It took only a second to understand exactly where we were—the "shower" room, which was used to suffocate innocent persons.
This room was the idea of mass slaughter come to life. With each second the air became thicker. Members of our group were silent, some of them breathing heavily.
One group gathered together in
Relief was overwhelming when we opened the door to leave the gas chamber. In the next room, however, an even more horrendous sight met our eyes.
The ovens in this room were larger and newer. The floor was constructed in a way that would make the disposing of residue possible without transportation.
This room was the new crematorium. It took the place of the smaller shack we visited earlier when it became apparent that the latter was not large enough to be efficient.
Once again, horror and disbelief were the only feelings that passed through our group. No one spoke for a long time after we left the camp. The heavy atmosphere which had descended as we entered the camp prevailed for hours after we had left and gone back to the more colorful aspects of our trip—the broad boulevards in Munich, the pleasant beer halls and the elaborate Bavarian castles. It was an atmosphere that will be with all of us for all our lives.
KU Debaters Score Weekend Win
KU debate and speech teams again scored successes last weekend at a tournament-at St. John's College in Winfield.
Individual wins went to Eric Thurman, Overland Park freshman, who won first place in the section on
Radio Broadcasting and a third in Salesmanship, Phyllis Schoer, Wichita freshman, won a third place in extemporaneous speaking; and Nancy Wood, Wichita freshman, who won a third in oral interpretation of prose and poetry.
On Campus with Max Shulman
(By the author of "Rally Round the Flag, Boyel!",
"Dobie Gillis," etc.)
ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH
Today I begin my eleventh year of writing this column in your campus newspaper.
He was a tall, clean-limbed man, crinkly-eyed and crooked-grinned, stalwart and virile. "How do you do," he said. "My name is Stalwart Virile and I am with the Personna Stainless Steel Razor Blade people."
I wasn't sure I'd be coming back this year. After a decade of doing this column, I had retreated to my country seat, tired but happy, to enjoy a nice long rest. But last night as I sat on my verandah, peaceful and serene, humming the large from A Long Day's Night and worming my dog, a stranger suddenly appeared before me.
"Enchanted," I said. "Take off your homburg and sit down." I clapped my hands sharply. "Norman!" I called. "Another chair for Mr. Virile!"
"Another chair for Mr. Virile!"
Obediently my dog trotted away and returned directly with a fanback chair of Malayan rattan. He is the smartest dog in our block.
"I suppose you're wondering why I am here," said Mr. Virile, seating himself.
“Well, sir,” I replied, my old eyes twinkling roguishly, “I’ll wager you didn’t come to read my meter.”
You can imagine how we howled at that one!
"That's a doooy!" cried Mr. Virile, finally catching his breath. "I must remember to tell it to Alice when I get home."
"Your wife?" I said.
"Oh." I said.
"My father." he said.
"But enough of wit and humor," he said. "Let us get down to business. How would you like to write a campus column for Personna Stainless Steel Razor Blades?"
"For money?" I said.
"My hand, sir." I said and clasped his. Warmly he returned the pressure, and soft smiles played upon our lips, and our eyes were moist with the hint of tears, and we were silent, not trusting ourselves to speak
"What will you write about in your campus column?" asked Mr. Virile when he was able to talk again.
"I will take up the burning issues that vex the American undergraduate!" I cried, bounding to my feet. "I will explore, without fear or favor, such explosive questions as 'Are roommates sanitary?' and 'Should proctors be given a saliva test?' and 'Should capital punishment for pledges be abolished?' and 'Can a student of 19 find happiness with an economics professor of 80?'"
"And will you also say a pleasant word from time to time about Persona Stainless Steel Razor Blades?" asked Mr. Virile.
"Sir," I said simply, "what other kind of word except pleasant could I possibly say about Personna Blades, which give me more luxury shaves than Beep-Beep or any other blade I might name?"
"Another of my products is Burma Shave," said Mr. Virile. "Can you find it in your heart to mention Burma Shave occasionally?"
"But of course!" I declared. "For is not Burma Shave the whisker-wiltingsest lather in the land?"
"Yes," he admitted.
And then he shook my hand again and smiled bravely and was gone—a tall silhouette moving erectly into the setting sun. "Farewell, good tonsorialist!" I cried after him. "Aloha!"
And turned with a will to my typewriter.
© 1965, Max Shulman
The makers of Personna<sup>b</sup> Blades and Burma Shave<sup>c</sup> are happy to bring you another season of Max Shulman's uncensored, uninhibited, and unpredictable column. We think you'll be happy too when you try our products.
book #10 of 2021